Palakkad, often dubbed Kerala’s “hottest” district, lived up to its reputation earlier this year when it became the epicentre of the state’s first officially recognized heatwave. The IMD even issued an orange alert as temperatures soared. With the announcement of by-polls, the Palakkad assembly constituency has faced another kind of heatwave—a political one—with the three major fronts locked in a fierce fight filled with allegations and counter-allegations. And today, as the public campaign for the by-polls—postponed by the EC due to the Kalpathi Chariot Festival—concludes, communal equations have emerged as a key factor in the calculations of various fronts.
Palakkad is one of those unique constituencies in Kerala where one could see a strong triangular fight. With 1.21 lakh voters, the constituency includes the Palakkad Municipality and the villages of Pirayiri, Mathoor, and Kannadi. More than 80 per cent of the electorate is urban. The constituency has a significant share of Muslim votes—Around 22.5 per cent of total voters.
Notably, the BJP dominates the municipal area, ruling the municipality with 28 of the 52 council seats under the NDA. In contrast, the rural belts favor the UDF and the LDF. The BJP, which finished second in the last two assembly elections, sees this by-poll as an opportunity to reopen its account in Kerala assembly. The by-election was triggered after Congress leader Shafi Parambil, who twice represented Palakkad, was elected as the MP for Vadakara in the general elections.
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Internal strife has notably marred the campaigns of all three fronts. Following the announcement of Youth Congress state president Rahul Mankoottathil as the Congress candidate, around nine leaders defected from the Congress. Among them, P. Sarin, who headed the Congress’s digital media cell, emerged as the LDF-backed independent candidate.
During the campaign phase, there were moments when Sarin and the CPI(M) leadership in Palakkad seemed to adopt conflicting positions. Additionally, an excerpt from the allegedly leaked autobiography of E.P. Jayarajan—later dismissed by him as a fabricated narrative—raised questions about whether the party leadership itself was divided on granting Sarin the seat.
In the BJP, internal disputes delayed the announcement of their candidate. Adding to the turmoil, firebrand leader Sandeep Warrier—a prominent BJP face in television debates—sparked further unrest during the advanced phase of the campaign. Warrier’s departure, marked by his fiery criticism of the BJP as a “party that sells hate”, shocked many. Initially rumoured to be joining the CPI(M) or CPI, he instead joined the Congress, sending ripples across the political landscape.
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The Congress candidate, Rahul Mankoottathil, faced accusations of being an "outsider". A slew of additional allegations was also raised against the Congress by the BJP and CPI(M), including the "blue trolley bag controversy", with claims that Mankoottathil was using unaccounted money brought in a blue trolley bag for the election. But the controversy backfired. Towards the end of the campaign, the LDF and the BJP intensified their attacks, alleging that the Congress was receiving support from radical Islamists and the SDPI, the political wing of the now-banned PFI.
While campaigning for P. Sarin, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made a controversial comment, suggesting that Panakkad Thangal, supremo of Congress ally Indian Union Muslim League, was behaving like an affiliate of Jamaat-e-Islami. Meanwhile, MP A.A. Rahim alleged that the SDPI was campaigning for the UDF in mosques. BJP state president K. Surendran echoed this claim, asserting that the SDPI was campaigning in mosques for the UDF and alleging that the LDF was also receiving support from the People's Democratic Party (PDP), founded by Abdul Nasir Maudany.
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Mankoottathil repeatedly faced media pressure to clarify whether he would reject SDPI support outright. On the campaign’s final day, Surendran escalated his rhetoric, claiming the Congress was being “hijacked” by a “special section of people”, a veiled reference aimed at consolidating Hindu votes in the constituency, which consists of around 80 castes and subcastes.
The CPI(M), meanwhile, continues its post-general election strategy of positioning itself as a bulwark against communalism from both majority and minority communities. And, LDF leader’s sharp criticism of Congress and IUML leaders suggests that unlike last time, LDF-leaning votes may not transfer to the UDF. And, if the BJP secures a victory in Palakkad, it could once again ignite accusations of “deal politics”.